SuperNatural Christians Retreat — May 2005
Nickie's Diary

Day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

The water was so peaceful and beautiful, even when the sun wasn't out.

We're not sure if this guy was alive or not.

The morning came quickly today. We all slowly woke up and met at the campfire. Oatmeal and Odwalla bars, which are protein bars, were for breakfast. Bill let us decide the plans for the day, so we decided to go on a long hike. This included canoeing across the lake to the beginning of a trail. This time I got to use the kayak. Kayaks are fun because they are more quick and agile than the canoes. At the trail, we began a walk of silence to reflect on the environment around us. We were in the middle of a pine forest—mostly pine trees, some maple. There were lichens of all colors growing on the trees. I had never seen lichen before! It was cool to be in the middle of a forest, completely silent.

On our way into the wilderness.

We walked for 2 hours and arrived at Loon Lake. This lake was different than the rest because it had a sandy beach. We saw a pair of loons, a pair of eagles from afar, and a little snapping turtle. We ate lunch here and had our afternoon prayer. The sky was cloudy but the rain held off. It was gorgeous.

We then made the 2 hour hike back to the canoes. By the time we got back we were tired and hungry. We had quiet time at the campsite and then had chores to do before dinner, including pumping the water through the purifier, my favorite chore. I also helped start the fire which was a challenge with the wind blowing. We had rice and beans for dinner, which, unfortunately, didn't turn out so well! I liked how we all worked together to make dinner and clean up.

Here's a close-up of a loon. Since the loon is on the threatened and endangered species list, we had to stay away from the little islands where they hung out.

After that, we had another prayer and reflection. We discussed our experiences with nature. By 9 pm we were ready for sleep. This is the earliest I've gone to bed in a long time! Right now I am lying in my tent with three other girls, listening to the rain fall. Our tent is called the “Eureka!” and seems to be about 20 years old. This was a great day—I am ready for tomorrow. I hope it doesn't rain.